ABOUT THIS SERIES
Voices from the Community shape our work and inform how we serve our mission. The insights shared by researchers, clinicians, community leaders, and people with lived experience across the world of SCI are worth sharing. This quarterly addition to our communications makes space to connect those perspectives and share what is inspiring our work.
What is one operational change that has made your work more reliable or easier for people with SCI to navigate?
“We created an SCI-specific monthly email newsletter to help people find what’s most relevant to them. When participants sign up for our programs, they can opt in to receive clear information about support groups, guest speakers, and upcoming activities. This targeted communication helps reduce information overload. Participants no longer have to sort through multiple calendars or announcements, and we’ve seen increased participation and retention as a result.”
— Emily S.
BORP Adaptive Sports and Recreation
“We switched most of our internal team correspondence from email to text messages. Some of our team members with SCI have a hard time navigating email and Google calendar, so it’s easier and saves time for us to text messages and Zoom links, and to have phone calls and meet in person. We do still use email, especially when in talks with community partners and anyone from outside of our immediate team.”
— Alex E.
Open Doors NYC
Is there anything that you think is essential to building trust with those you serve?
“We approach our work from a very human, individual perspective, knowing that what works for one person may not work for another. We support people with a wide range of SCI experiences and try to consider physical, emotional, and social needs together. Being honest about challenges and limitations builds trust and helps people decide what will work for them. We also refer or partner with other organizations when it’s a better fit, because supporting one another strengthens the SCI community.”
— Jennifer W.
Adventures Without Limits
“One of the most important ways BORP builds trust is by supporting community-led programming. Many of our staff, coaches, and instructors are people with disabilities themselves. This close connection to the community we serve allows us to identify and address gaps in access to recreation and sports, and our shared lived experience creates credibility and mutual trust.
We foster trust by creating a welcoming environment not only for participants, but also for their families, friends, and support networks. Disabled people do not often have opportunities to engage in recreational activities alongside their non-disabled loved ones, and we know that participation increases when people can join with someone they trust and care about. For example, our cycling center welcomes peers, support people, and family members to ride alongside BORP participants, and our youth wheelchair basketball program invites siblings to participate as well.”
— Emily S.
BORP Adaptive Sports and Recreation